Letter handwritten and hand-signed by Theodor (Binyamin Ze'ev) Herzl, written in the course of his first journey to meet the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Constantinople (today Istanbul), June 25, 1896. German.
Brief handwritten letter personally signed by Theodor Herzl, on the thin stationery of the elegant Hotel Royal; signed "Herzl." Here, Herzl writes that his departure for London will be delayed: "The Sultan passed word onto me yesterday, that I might stay here a few more days; perhaps he has something to tell me. Therefore, my departure is delayed […] All further details [will be delivered] verbally."
A similarly worded account of Herzl's experience in Constantinople appears in his personal diary: "Yesterday the Sultan sent me word that I should not leave today; he would probably have something to say to me before my departure. This is a success – though an uncertain one" (The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl, Vol. I, p. 392; see below). The actual reason the Sultan requested that Herzl delay his departure from Constantinople is not indicated in the diaries.
The present letter may have been addressed to Rabbi Simeon Singer (1846-1906), mentioned in Herzl's diaries as the person who came to meet him upon his arrival in London, following Herzl's failure to be granted a substantive meeting with the Sultan.

Herzl's 1896 visit to Constantinople
Beginning in the 1890s, Theodor Herzl embarked on an earnest and unrelenting search for a solution to the suffering of the Jewish people in the Diaspora. The first attempt to advance the realization of his dream – the creation of a modern state for the Jewish people – was made in 1896, with his planned meeting with the Sultan of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, Abdul Hamid II, in Constantinople. Herzl intended to present the Sultan with an attractive offer: Jewish tycoons and wealthy financiers would contribute handsomely to relieve the Ottoman Empire's heavy debts to Europe, and in return the Sultan would grant the Jewish people a charter over the historical Land of Israel.
The rare and extraordinary meeting was organized with the help of a mediator, Philip Michael de Newlinsky (1841-1899), an exiled, disillusioned, and disenfranchised Polish aristocrat. Having despaired over the state of affairs in his own motherland, he became something of a self-appointed diplomat-for-hire. He agreed to accompany Herzl on his journey and enable the latter to benefit from his connections with "the Supreme Gate" (the name given to the central authority of the Ottoman Empire, located in Constantinople).
On July 15, Herzl boarded the Orient Express train in Vienna. In Budapest, he was joined by Newlinsky. He reached Constantinople on July 17, following a two-day train ride. In an attempt to create the impression that he had unlimited funds at his disposal, he chose to stay at Constantinople's highly prestigious Hotel Royal, notwithstanding the fact that he had not yet begun to accumulate the sums of money required to sustain the proposals he was about to present to the Sultan.
Immediately upon his arrival, Herzl began intensively lobbying every individual he could locate with ties to the wheels of power, including Prime Minister and Grand Vizier Halil Rifat Pasha. But senior officials expressed serious reservations about his proposed program, insisting that it was against their principles to sell any territory.
Notwithstanding the disappointing responses of the senior officials, Herzl clung to the belief that the success of his visit would be decided entirely on the basis of a face-to-face meeting with the Sultan. He stayed in Constantinople for a total of eleven days; as stated, he managed to meet with numerous senior officials of the "Supreme Gate" whose demeanor was generally friendly, albeit sceptical. But he was never granted a meeting with the Sultan. A brief meeting did take place between the Sultan and Herzl's envoy/mediator, Newlinsky, whereupon the latter was informed of the Sultan's rejection of Herzl's proposal. To sweeten the bitter pill, Abdul Hamid announced that Herzl would be awarded a medal of honor, of the Order of the Medjidie, Third Class. The Sultan also uttered a vague commitment regarding a future arrangement in which the Jews would be granted at least some of the lands in question: "The Jews are intelligent; they will find some acceptable formula" (The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl, Vol. I, p. 400; see below).
Herzl's visit to Constantinople was only an initial step, but it served to place him on the world diplomatic stage; it helped reinforce his status as leader of the Zionist movement and spread his message among the members of the movement. In May, 1901, Herzl would finally succeed in meeting face-to-face with the Sultan, and this was in fact a lengthy meeting. Here, once again, he was awarded a medal, this time of the Order of the Medjidie, First Class – Turkey's highest honor. But once again, even though Herzl himself considered the meeting a success, it did not bring about the desired result: a charter enabling Jews to settle in the Land of Israel.

[1] f. (folded in half; one handwritten page), 23 cm. Good condition. Fold lines and creases. Stains. Few small tears to verso (blank side).

References:
• Amos Elon, "Herzl, " Am Oved, Tel Aviv, 1975, Hebrew, pp. 220-24. (English edition published by Schocken, 1985.)
• Shlomo Avineri, "Herzl, " Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, Jerusalem, 2007, Hebrew.
• Theodor Herzl, "The Issue of the Jews: Diaries 1895-1904," Vol. I, Bialik Institute publishing house, Jerusalem, 1997, Hebrew.
• Theodor Herzl, "The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl, " edited by Raphael Patai, translated by Harry Zohn, Herzl Press and Thomas Yoseloff, New York and London, 1960.